Nokia's Here Maps application will be available for free in the coming days for all Windows 8.1 users, including those with devices running Windows Pro and Windows RT.

The mapping app is currently available only on the Nokia Lumia 2520 tablet, which uses Windows 8.1, but now it will be on the Windows Store for users of Windows 8.1 desktop PCs, laptops and tablets, according to a post on Nokia's Here 360 blog.

Here Maps is one of a family of mapping services and applications that Nokia will retain after it sells its smartphone business to Microsoft in the US$7.2 billion deal they announced in September, which is expected to close this quarter.

That deal calls for Nokia to license Here to Microsoft. Microsoft is counting on it to boost its products' mapping capabilities and better compete against Google Maps.

Nokia describes Here Maps as an "all-in-one" app that displays satellite, 3D and other types of maps, along with points of interest, and lets users search for places and plan routes.

The app is designed so that it can be used via touch and also with a mouse and keyboard. It lets users download copies of maps for offline use, and keeps a log of their searches and routes, according to Nokia.